Does anyone make a list of Songs to Learn?

edward993 · #1 03-10-2010, 09:45 AM

Title says it all. I keep telling myself there are those "must learn" songs, then there are those that would "be really cool to know," and I try to keep a mental check list ...only to forget it 5.3 minutes later

So just curious: who makes a list? (so they don't forget

).

Edward

BigRed51 · #2 03-10-2010, 09:51 AM

Absolutely ... it's on Excel, and is a very fluid list!

There are two categories ... songs that I would like to learn (there are about 20 on that list right now) and songs that I must learn for an upcoming show (only 4 on that list right this minute). In addition, I keep an active list of every song I know, and the key or keys (sometimes the key is different if I am doing it solo or with the band or at a jam)

The biggest problem I have is that as I get older it takes me longer to learn lyrics, and every time I squeeze two more songs into my brain, one seems to get pushed out ...

Andromeda · #3 03-10-2010, 10:04 AM

I make list and my problem is that there are more songs on my list than there is time to learn them! I have musical ADD. I love a certain song and play it for a while and then will want to movie on to another one.

MRBABAR · #4 03-10-2010, 10:18 AM

I do, and I use Itunes. If I identify a song I want to learn I move it into an iTunes folder called "Songs to Learn." If I don't have the song, I buy it from iTunes and move it into the folder...

ewalling · #5 03-10-2010, 10:28 AM

My list is of the songs I've supposedly learned! Every now and then I'll look at it, only to discover that I've forgotten a chunk of one song through not playing it for so long...

MisterZeus · #6 03-10-2010, 10:46 AM

Short answer: Yes
Long answer:

It's more like a collection of songs (not so much just a "list") to learn from; some to learn all the way through, some just to learn a part and some just to study if I have the time. Some are just titles jotted down, some are tabs, some are full orchestrations, some are just song fragments.

The collection is like what I keep an eye out for in projects for woodcarving; ideas, plans, pictures, drawings, photos, other folks' carving...from simple inspiration to full-blown carving l plans.

I am told that artists call this type of reference collection "The Morgue", and so I have come to call both the one for my guitar playing and for woodcarving the same.

guitar12 · #7 03-10-2010, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewalling

My list is of the songs I've supposedly learned! Every now and then I'll look at it, only to discover that I've forgotten a chunk of one song through not playing it for so long...

True dat. Good suggestion from MRBABAR to create an Itunes folder. Just did it!

Rob

ghostnote · #8 03-10-2010, 11:05 AM

I do variations of most of the things posted so far. I have lists of songs I have to learn, songs I'd like to learn, songs I know solo, songs I know for my band. In addition, I'm always finding old lists in notebooks or on sheets of paper under things in the music room - it's interesting what you see on some of the old lists, i.e., I wanted to learn THAT? What was I thinking?

jimd · #9 03-10-2010, 11:44 AM

I am always looking for new songs to learn. But, when I want to start on one, I can never come up with a song I really want to learn. I have taken to playing my ipod on shuffle a lot. When I hear one that I think I can handle, I put it on my list. That way I have something to look through when the new song bug bites. I use the notes app on my iphone to carry the list around wherever I go.

Minotaur · #10 03-10-2010, 11:52 AM

Absolutely. I have not just a list, but a song book. It's a 2 1/2" 3-ring binder with color tab dividers and chord sheets, sheet music and tablature. They are arranged in alphabetical order according to the list printed by iTunes. Yes, I have a special iTunes playlist corresponding to these songs. Currently there are about 67 of them. I can't play anywhere near most of them (yet) because it's just a matter of not enough hours in the day.

$ongWriter · #11 03-10-2010, 01:48 PM

Yep...if you go on www.chordie.com you can save the ones you want to a songbook...it's great!!

Guitarpix · #12 03-10-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by $ongWriter

Yep...if you go on www.chordie.com you can save the ones you want to a songbook...it's great!!

+1!

I have several songbooks there! Some for "Goal Songs", others by Genre or difficuly, Set lists for diffrent event types, etc... You can also change your default settings to other instruments like Mandolin, Ukulele, Banjo, etc... and create songbooks for those instrumnets. All chords and diagrams change to fit that instrument for the entire database! Make them private or leave them public where your friends can find and view them. The forums are quite friendly too. -Pix

Jeff M · #13 03-10-2010, 02:19 PM

Nope.
Just listen to as much music as you can, pick out players whose stuff you like, see if they have any instructional material available, and go for it.

Losov · #14 03-10-2010, 03:15 PM

No list, as such.

What I'm doing these days is downloading and printing the lyrics to songs that interest me. I put them in a pile and every now and then I go through it to see what warrants further development. Some stay there a while, some are in and out quickly when I work up the song to final form, some I eventually toss.

fatt-dad · #15 03-10-2010, 04:53 PM

I go to a local jam twice per month. I write down the tunes that folks are playing and that becomes my list to work on. I've learned ALOT of tunes this way and have gotten much better over the years.

f-d